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Kitchen Trenches

Kitchen Trenches

Written by: Amber Chase
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Kitchen Trenches is a podcast sharing the untold stories of the food industry to promote authenticity, relatability, and direct listeners to supportive resources.2026 Art Careers Cooking Economics Food & Wine Personal Success
Episodes
  • Episode 3 - Jesse Legg and Taylor Harris of Bayonet
    Jun 5 2026

    Kitchen Trenches is a podcast sharing the untold stories of the food industry to promote authenticity, relatability, and direct listeners to supportive resources.

    This episode's guests are Jesse Legg and Taylor Harris who both serve as Chef de Cuisine at Bayonet in Birmingham, Alabama. We discuss tackling whole fish butchery, the burger rush that lasted over a decade, hanging up the apron on post-shift bar hopping, mentorship, and the essential flavor palates of sour candy.

    Time Stamps:

    • Introduction: 0:52

    • Guest Check: 12:55

    • Camaraderie: 19:13

    • Family Meal: 23:06

    • Why: 29:54

    Episode Shout Outs:

    • Bayonet

    • Helen

    • Rob McDaniel (Owner and Executive Chef of Bayonet and Helen)

    • Odette

    • Josh Quick from Odette

    • Spring House

    • Sour Skittles

    • Swedish Fish

    • Sloppy Joes

    Team Shout Outs

    • Rob McDaniel, Owner and Executive Chef

    • Candace Foster, Pastry Chef

    • Daniel Goslin, General Manager and Director of Operations

    • Coleman Self, Sous Chef

    • Jason Davis, Chef de Cuisine

    Southern Smoke Foundation

    If you're a listener in need of support, we encourage you to explore the aid opportunities available from Southern Smoke Foundation. Southern Smoke provides access to no-cost mental health services and emergency relief funding for food and beverage workers nationwide.

    If you're a listener who wants to continually support the backbone of our food systems and the people behind the stories we share here, consider donating to Southern Smoke via the link in our show notes.

    We'll catch you in the trenches next time with new episodes airing monthly.If you like the show, share with friends, visit our website, tip your servers 30%, and tune in monthly for new episodes wherever you get your podcasts.

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    35 mins
  • Episode 2 - Madeline Lee of Noko and Kase x Noko
    Apr 30 2026

    Kitchen Trenches is a podcast sharing the untold stories of the food industry to promote authenticity, relatability, and direct listeners to supportive resources.

    This episode's guest is Madeline Lee, the Assistant Manager at Noko and Kase x Noko in Nashville, Tennessee with over 11 years of experience in the industry. We discuss Chick-fil-A culture, the best options for a Dole Whip float, and how mentors within the industry shaped her personal character.

    Time Stamps:

    • Introduction: 0:46

    • Guest Check: 10:37

    • Camaraderie: 18:22

    • Family Meal: 21:42

    • Why: 26:02

    Episode Shout Outs:

    • Noko and Kase x Noko in Nashville

    • Dole Whip

    • Nashville Roots Gardening, LLC

    • Cosecha Community

    Southern Smoke Foundation

    If you're a listener in need of support, we encourage you to explore the aid opportunities available from Southern Smoke Foundation. Southern Smoke provides access to no-cost mental health services and emergency relief funding for food and beverage workers nationwide.

    If you're a listener who wants to continually support the backbone of our food systems and the people behind the stories we share here, consider donating to Southern Smoke via the link in our show notes.

    We'll catch you in the trenches next time with new episodes airing monthly.

    If you like the show, share with friends, visit our website, tip your servers 30%, and tune in monthly for new episodes wherever you get your podcasts.

    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • Episode 1 - Aly Skiko, Sommelier
    Apr 30 2026

    *Please note that for our first episode we experienced some minor audio difficulties that affected overall audio quality. Stay tuned as we get better about this each time we record!

    Kitchen Trenches is a podcast sharing the untold stories of the food industry to promote authenticity, relatability, and direct listeners to supportive resources.

    This episode's guest is Aly Skiko, a sommelier in Charleston, South Carolina with over 12 years of experience in the industry. We discuss everything from AI's infiltration of the somm scene, to Aly's journey of becoming a "cellar rat", to her buttery, tableside voice.

    Time Stamps:

    • Introduction: 0:50

    • Guest Check: 5:16

    • Camaraderie: 12:00

    • Family Meal: 16:31

    • Why: 21:40

    Episode Shout Outs:

    • Vern's in Charleston – watch that Resy.

    Southern Smoke Foundation

    If you're a listener in need of support, we encourage you to explore the aid opportunities available from Southern Smoke Foundation. Southern Smoke provides access to no-cost mental health services and emergency relief funding for food and beverage workers nationwide.

    If you're a listener who wants to continually support the backbone of our food systems and the people behind the stories we share here, consider donating to Southern Smoke via the link in our show notes.

    We'll catch you in the trenches next time with new episodes airing monthly.If you like the show, share with friends, visit our website, tip your servers 30%, and tune in monthly for new episodes wherever you get your podcasts.

    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
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